The Yuletide Mission
by trissa
Summary: An ordinary day in a not so ordinary month reinforces Carter's belief in himself


_Copyright text and original characters by Teresa Strati. No ownership of the Hogan's Heroes characters is implied or inferred. Copyright belongs to others and no infringement is intended._

**The Yuletide Mission **

_**Teresa Strati**_

With nightfall as his faithful companion, Sergeant Andrew Carter checked his detonators.

"What's taking so bleeding long?" a shivering and annoyed Corporal Peter Newkirk hissed behind the young sergeant. "If I stand here any longer I'm going to be frozen to this spot!"

Carter flicked off the accumulated snow on his homemade bomb. "That's what my ma would say."

"What are you talking about?" Newkirk asked, confused.

Carter grabbed his gear and trudged through the snow to their camp. "When I'd stand outside and look at the night sky on Christmas night."

"Andrew," Newkirk whispered, the strain in his voice lending itself to what he knew would be an odd explanation, "why were you standing outside looking at the night sky?"

"I was waiting for him."

Dumbfounded, Newkirk stopped in his tracks. Carter mistook the Englander's action as a signal to go first so he brushed the built up snow off the camouflaged tree-trunk entrance and descended the steps to their secret underground tunnel.

Newkirk glanced up at the almost starless sky, took a deep breath then made his own descent.

**...000…**

Colonel Robert Hogan paced. It was the only thing he could do to assuage the lingering knot in his gut telling him that something was wrong.

It was a simple mission, borne of underground intelligence and seemingly foolproof. So why did his gut fight so hard to convince him that there was something very, very wrong?

"Are you daft?" Newkirk's voice carried into the Colonel's quarters.

"Everything set?" Hogan asked, joining Newkirk and Carter at the table and accepting the coffee that Corporal Louis LeBeau poured for everyone.

"Yes sir," Carter said quickly. "All set to blow at midnight."

Newkirk held his cup out for LeBeau to refill it. "That convoy will never know what hit them."

Hogan glanced at his watch. "Good. The rest is up to Pierre and his men."

Suddenly, the tunnel bunk rose and Kinch poked his head out, "Colonel, Pierre's in the tunnel. He says we have to stop the mission."

The knot in Hogan's gut just became a brick.

**...000…**

"We're too late," Pierre cursed, crouching behind snow covered rocks.

The convoy of covered trucks had reached the bridge and began driving across. As the third truck drove onto the bridge, Pierre tensed. "Colonel, we believe the next two trucks do not carry soldiers. If we can – "

And within minutes an explosion set off a chain reaction that threw the bridge and its occupants into the icy river.

"Quickly, please, there is time," Pierre begged as he slid down the embankment and raced towards the two covered trucks.

"Is he crazy?" Newkirk asked the Colonel.

"Cover us," Hogan ordered, before joining Pierre.

"It's not midnight yet," Carter informed Newkirk.

Using the explosion to their advantage, Hogan and Pierre quickly overpowered the drivers of the two remaining trucks.

Suddenly, Hogan stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear whimpering.

Pierre tore at the ropes of both trucks.

With his revolver ready, Hogan pulled back the flaps and stared into the eyes of petrified young children.

**...000…**

"You must all be wondering why I called this roll call?" Kommandant Klink began, pacing up and down the line of prisoners. "I called this roll call for a very important reason. One, which I am certain will prove to you that I am not as heartless a Kommandant as you might all believe. I know what tonight is."

Hogan could feel every nerve ending tingling.

Kinch had just sneaked in behind the Colonel. "London will be ready to receive forty small packages in forty eight hours, Colonel."

Hogan smiled, "Good."

"This is one time I'm pleased you stuffed up your timer," Newkirk said to Carter.

But Carter was staring up at the night sky.

Newkirk stared up too. "You still looking for him?"

A shooting star raced across the night sky. Carter smiled, turned to Newkirk and said, "I never stuffed up my timer."


End file.
